According to my watch, today is Friday. It’s also the 13th day of the month. I hear that means it’s an unlucky day.
But why? I’ve always wondered—and by always, I mean since about three hours ago. So here’s some hasty and half-assed research to answer the question.
I Consult A Friend
Many people have befriended AI these days, but I’m as anti-droid as the Mandalorian, so instead, I turned to my longtime friend, Wikipedia. “Hey Wikipedia,” I asked. “What’s the deal with Friday the 13th?”
Nothing happened. Then I remembered that Wikipedia’s a website and not a chatbot thingy, so instead, I Googled this: “what’s the deal with friday the 13th?”
According to the ol’ Peds, one possible origin of the Friday the 13th superstition is the Last Supper, which took place on the 13th and had 13 guests, and was also served tapas style.
That last part was a joke because I hate tapas. But the rest is apparently true—but not spicy enough for my tastes. There’s also apparently some possible connection to the Knights Templar, although I didn’t bother clicking that link, and even a brief skim nearly put me back to sleep.
But my favorite story? It comes from a Norse myth.
A Killer Dinner
Okay, so, according to those Vikings (the original ones, not the ones from Minnesota), the Norse pantheon was hosting a dinner party for 12 gods and goddesses. I have to assume it was a potluck. The 13th attendee was an uninvited guest: Loki, God of Mischief.
You remember Loki. He’s got his own show on Disney+. Anyhoo, through some chicanery that probably involved insulting someone’s mother, Loki tricked Hod into shooting Balder with a mistletoe arrow. Balder must’ve had quite the allergy, because he was invulnerable to everything but that. The arrow killed him, and since Balder was the God of Good Stuff (official title), the world was consigned to suffering in his absence.
Now that’s a story. It’s got everything: Food, family, fun, murder. Plus, it answers my question. Apparently, no one knows the exact origin of the superstition, so I’m going with that.
When’s the Next One?
After today, there’s another Friday the 13th coming up in November, then another after that in August. I figure you should plan ahead, in case you’re hoping to win the lottery or place a risky sports wager. If so, don’t do it on those days.
In conclusion, humans are weird. We pass superstitions like these from generation to generation, despite there being no evidence to support them. According to that informative Wikipedia article, scientists have even analyzed the date to determine if, say, accidents are more common, yet nothing conclusive has ever been found.
And nothing ever will be. Because it’s just a day, just like any other day, only this one happens to share a name with a mediocre horror film franchise. But hey, at least it gave me something to write about.
And I’ll keep writing about it! Because for my premium readers, there’s some bonus writing below. Enjoy!
All the best,
Kyle
Kyle A. Massa is a comedy author of some sort living somewhere in upstate New York with his wife, their daughter, and three wild animals. His published works include 10 books, along with several short stories, essays, and poems. When he’s not writing, he enjoys reading, running, and drinking cheap coffee.
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